7 Cowboys Playing Their Way Out of Dallas' 2025 Plans

The losses continue to pile up for the Dallas Cowboys. Unless things change, these seven Cowboys may have already played themselves out of the franchise's 2025 plans.
Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) celebrates his first down run against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) celebrates his first down run against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 7
Next

7. Mike McCarthy, HC

If the Cowboys fail to make the playoffs come January, chances are that Mike McCarthy won't be given another chance to turn the ship around.

Before the 2024 season, there was no denying McCarthy's regular-season success in Dallas. After all, he had just coached three consecutive 12-win teams. The issues came with how the Cowboys consistently fell apart in the playoffs under his watch, leaving time to tell how he'd fare in the final season of his five-year contract.

While most coaches would do their best to step up in a contract year, that hasn't been the case for McCarthy. The 60-year-old head coach has led the Cowboys to a 3-4 start and unless the team wins the majority of the games down the stretch, their postseason streak is likely ending this winter.

If the Cowboys were at least above .500 and on pace to win the NFC East again, you could at least make the argument of bringing him back for another season. With that being said, the divisional crown will likely be won by the Philadelphia Eagles or Washington Commanders, proving that the Cowboys are noticeably a step behind their rivals.

After Jerry Jones has made it clear that he won't pull off another in-season coaching change, McCarthy will have at least the rest of the year to prove himself to ownership. The Cowboys might even squeeze out some wins during that span, however, it likely won't be enough to result in an encore contract for the former Super Bowl-winning coach.

At least, that's assuming that Jones still has some integrity and won't treat McCarthy as Jason Garrett 2.0.

In other Cowboys news: